To round out 2022, here’s a breakdown of a little patch where I’m using Monsoon (aka Clouds) as a kind of sampler to turn a cheap kalimba into an atmospheric ambient chord a classic Clouds technique.

I’m using a contact mic via the Making Sound Machines Tausend dB preamp to get the sound into Monsoon. In this patch I bang the wooden body of the kalimba, freeze the buffer and turn a portion of the decaying sound into a dense, shimmering pad. I keep the wetdry mix around 12 o’clock, and striking the kalimba again on top of this texture, through the reverb, gives a little extra spice.

The other elements in the patch are Rings, in modal resonator mode, playing some short atonal percussion hits sequenced by the Turing Machine; Plaits, in the new ‘classic waveshapes with filter’ mode from the the latest firmware update; and some simple hip hop drums a kick and snare sample played via the Disting, a hihat from the 2HP Hat, and a clave from the Tiptop RS808. I’ve run the drums through my Tascam M208 with the gain cranked for some added crunch.

Chapters:
00:00 Jam & introduction
02:42 Creating a pad with Monsoon
07:39 Rings and Plaits voices
09:42 Adding drums and putting it all together

For more ideas on how to use piezo mics with modular, check out the videos on Making Sound Machines’ Tausend dB page: https://makingsoundmachines.com/tause... (NB: I’m not sponsored by or affiliated with MSM, I’m just a fan!)

More stuff from me:
https://tomchurchill.bandcamp.com/
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